English

Noun

the middle of nowhere (singular only)

1. (idiomatic) A very remote place; a nondescript place lacking population, interesting things, or defining characteristics.
   • 1889 Nov. 2, "The Proof" (editorial), The Daily Record (Kansas, USA), p. 2 (retrieved 12 April 2013):

     We set out to demonstrate to the people of the county that a corrupt ring managed the Republican party in this county. . . . We want that corrupt ring knocked into the middle of Nowhere.

   • 1920, Margaret Pedler, The Hermit of Far End, ch. 29:

     "Only we don't happen to be in the middle of nowhere! We're just about a couple of miles from a market town where abides a nice little inn whence petrol can be obtained."

   • 1977 Oct. 17, "Now, the Poor Man's Jumbo Jet," Time:

     South Florida's Everglades Jetport is a fancy name for a concrete runway in the middle of nowhere.

   • 2012 May 9, Bettina Wassener, "A Modern Magellan Demonstrates Power of the Sun," New York Times (retrieved 12 April 2013):

     [A]fter weeks of journeying across the monotonous open sea. . . . “You see nothing for 30 days — you’re in the middle of nowhere, you feel like you are in outer space,” said Mr. Domjan.

Usage notes

• Almost always preceded by the.

Synonyms

• See: Wikisaurus:remote place
• backwater, backwoods, boondocks, the sticks, Timbuktu

Translations